It was Derek Stepan who first uttered the phrase that became a tagline for his team’s season: “The hockey gods are real, and they are mean.”

The gods’ favorite playthings, the Arizona Coyotes, were on the receiving end of more cruelty on Friday. Coach Rick Tocchet told a small gathering of reporters after practice that Stepan would miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury suffered when he got pinned along the boards in the offensive zone by Canucks defenseman Troy Stetcher early in the third period of a 5-2 win over Vancouver on Thursday at Gila River Arena. Stepan screamed in pain and left the ice without putting any weight on his left leg.

The injury is to his MCL (medial collateral ligament), but the recovery period suggests the possibility that he could return if the Coyotes qualify for the playoffs.

“He’s a little down but he said he wants to be an assistant coach for a while,” Tocchet said. “He’s hired. He’s the type of guy...